Jean Louis Berthault
About
the designers
Jean Louis Berthault was born in 1907 in Paris. After studying at the Arts Decoratifs in Paris, Louis worked for the house of DRECOLL. In 1935, he went to New York, where he showed his sketches to HATTIE CARNEGIE, whom he joined till 1942. In 1944, he was appointed head designer at Columbia Pictures in Hollywood. Among the hundreds of films he designed for, the 1945 film "Gilda" starring Rita Hayworth, is memorable because of the frock which he designed. It was a black satin strapless evening dress, cut with sufficient mobility for the actress to dance energetically. It was widely copied. In 1958, Louis moved to Universal Studios till 1961. In 1961, he opened his own ready-to-wear business, specializing in evening wear, while continuing to create for the screen on a freelance basis. His last film was in 1973. He died in 1997 at the age of 90.